Zaynab bint Ali (Arabic: زينب بنت علي‎ Also: Zainab, Zeinab, or with the title Sayyeda/Sayyidah meaning "Lady" to show respect) was one of the daughters of the Rashid Caliph and first Shia Imam, Ali and his first wife Fatimah. Muhammad the Islamic prophet was her maternal grandfather and thus she is a member of ahl al-bayt (the household of Muhammad) and is therefore often revered not only for her admirable characteristics and actions but also for her membership in and continuation of the biological line of Muhammad. Like other members of her family she became a great figure of sacrifice, strength, and piety in Islam – in the Sunni and Shia sect of the religion.

When Zaynab came of age, she was married to her first cousin Abdullah ibn Ja'far, a nephew of Ali, in a simple ceremony. Although Zaynab's husband was a man of means, the couple is said to have lived a modest life. Much of their wealth was devoted to charity.[4] Abdullah was sometimes called "the sea of munificence" or "the cloud of munificence".[citation needed]

The marriage of Zaynab did not diminish her strong attachment to her family. Ali felt a great affection for his daughter and son-in-law, so much so that in 37 AH (657/65/8[1]) when he became caliph and moved the capital from Medina to Kufa, Zaynab and Abdullah moved with him. Zaynab bore four sons — Ali, Aun, Muhammad, and Abbas — and one daughter, Umm Kulthum.[4]

Some sources suggest that Zaynab held sessions to help other women study the Quran and learn more about Islam. According to one of her biographies, The Victory of Truth, she started this practice in Medina and later continued it when she moved with her father and family to Kufa.[4]

Some time after the death of the Muawiyah I, Husayn went to Kufa by the invitation of the people of Kufa for him to claim the leadership of the Muslim community. Zaynab accompanied him, as did most of his household. By the time Husayn's army arrived, the people of Kufa had changed their minds and defeated Husayn's army at the Battle of Karbala.

In many ways Zaynab functioned as a model of defiance against oppression and other forms of injustice. When her nephew, Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, was sentenced to death by the governor of Kufa (Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad), she threw herself over him in a protective embrace yelling “By God, I won’t let go of him. If you’re going to kill him, you’ll have to kill me along with him."[5][6] Moved by Zaynab’s action, the captors spared Zayn's life. Because Zayn was the only one of Husayn's sons to survive the Battle of Karbala, this courageous action was pivotal in preserving the survival of an important part of Ali genetic line and thus the future Imams in Shia Islam.

Zaynab and the other survivors of Husayn's army, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus, Yazid's capital, where they were held captive. Tradition says that Zaynab, already in anguish due to the death of her brother Husayn and her sons Aun and Muhammad, was forced to march unveiled. This was an extreme indignity to inflict on a high-ranking Muslim woman, the granddaughter of Muhammad.

While captive in Damascus, Zaynab held the first majlis, or lamentation assembly in the palace of Yazid to mourn the loss of her beloved brother Husayn.[5]

Another illustration of Zaynab's pious defiance was when a Syrian in Yazid's court demanded that he be given one of the younger captive girls, Fatimah bint Husayn.*[7] Zaynab countered by suggesting that Syrian man was not worthy and did not have that type of authority. When Yazid claimed he had the authority to decide either way, Zaynab issued a scathing retort, answering “You, a commander who has authority, are vilifying unjustly and oppress with your authority."[8]

This comment is representative of a larger sermon attributed to Zaynab in which she condemns Yazid and many of his actions, specifically focusing on his treatment of the household of Muhammad. The sermon is very eloquent and is reminiscent of the work in the Quran's exegesis, Zaynab did with other women in Medina and Kufa. The full text of this sermon is linked in the external links section below.[9]

Eventually Yazid released his captives and allowed them to return to Medina. On the way back, the party stopped once again at Karbala to mourn the loss of Husayn and the others that died there.[5]

The exact date and place of her death is not clear but it is probable that she died in the year 62 AH (681/682[1]) some six months after her return to Medina.[10] The anniversary of her death is said to be either the 11th or 21st of Jumada al-Thani, the 24th of Safar, or the 16th of Dhu al-Hijjah. Some suggest that her grave can be found within Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in Sayyidah Zaynab, Syria. Alternatively, many Sunnis believe her grave can be found within a different mosque (which also titled "Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque") that is located in Cairo. The Fatimid/Dawoodi Bohra support the claim that Zaynab is buried in Cairo. Their 52nd Dai, Mohammed Burhanuddin, made zarih (a cage-like structure surrounding the tomb) for the shrine in Cairo. The Fatimids and some others believe that the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in Damascus is actually the burial site of one of her sisters, Umm Kulthum bint Ali (perhaps caused by confusion between "Sugra" and "Kubra"). There is some historical evidence suggesting Zaynab lived in Cairo near the end of her life.[11]

In Iran, her birthday is recognized as Nurse's Day possibly because she nursed children such as Husayn's son Ali among others[8] but also because of her taking care of those wounded in the Battle of Karbala[8]

The ritual of majils, or lamentation assembly mourning the deaths of the Prophetic line, is still practised as an integral part of Shia Islam.[5]

^ abcdePinault, David. "Zaynab Bint 'Ali and the Place of the Women of the Households of the First Imams in Shi'ite Devotional Literature." Women in the Medieval Islamic World: Power, Patronage, and Piety. Ed. Gavin Hambly. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print.

^Tabari (1990). The History of al-Tabari Volume XIX: The Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah. Albanty: State University of New York Press.[page needed]